Suicide Squad (CoD Zombies Parody)
by DressiestSphinx25000
Summary: When World at War Edward Richtofen and the Shadowman team up to corrupt the universes, Dr. Monty assembles a team of dangerous fighters to stop them and their monsters. From a foul-mouthed marine, a loyal samurai, a nerd, a crazy blonde, a mob boss, a dark magician, a cannibalistic schizophrenic, a stone-hearted Russian, and a psychopathic hitman, all hope lies on them to save it.
1. Wunderbarer Traum - Wonderful Dream

_Marlton's PoV_

"Johnson, why can't you accept the fact that you're not going anywhere?", Bertram chuckled at me. "You and the others are too _precious_ to let go of."

Before any of this, I used to consider myself a well-mannered pacifist, until the apocalypse happened and I met that beautiful maiden. I believe that was the reason why I felt the need to strangle Officer Christopher Bertram. His German accent mocked me, as I balled my hands into fists.

I ignored my violent thoughts, as I paced my cell back and forth, lost in my subconscious. The escape plans laid on the floor neatly, as I began to quietly whimper.

 _Oh, Misty..._

 _Where are you, my fair sweet maiden?_

"Misty...", I mumbled to myself, as I clutched my hair, quite tightly. A few tears began to slowly make their journey down my cheeks. _Everything that had happened changed me, physically and emotionally._

I didn't give a damn about it. At all.

"The slut's dead, Darlington!", the voice of Samuel Stuhlinger yelled out, completely pestered by my behavior. "My buddy is gone because of her!"

I snapped my head towards the cell across from me. Furiously, I wiped my pathetic tears away, narrowing my eyes at the man, who insulted my lady.

Stuhlinger sat up on his untidy bed, narrowing his eyes back at me. Currently, he held a piece of raw meat in his hands, taking another bite from it. I scrunched my nose in disgust, as I walked closely to the bars that held me.

"Misty is still alive, Mr. Stuhlinger!", I spat, releasing my contained anger out on him. "She is capable enough to survive in that godforsaken environment!" I felt brave enough to be a little cocky. "Unfortunately, Russman cannot match her durability."

Stuhlinger arose from his bed and headed for his iron bars, gripping them. The fresh blood from the meat dripped down from his mouth to his chin, giving off the impression that Stuhlinger looked like a bloodthirsty beast.

A beast, if it wasn't contained, would have possibly killed me.

"Say that again, Marlton.", he growled, his eyes clicking from behind his thick glasses. He showed off his canine-like teeth at me. "I dare you."

"Bertram, you better shut 'em up.", a cold voice, containing a thick New Jersey accent, suddenly spoke up. "Or do I gotta do it?"

Bertram, who had been enjoying the dispute between me and Stuhlinger, now frowned at a dark cell, which was two places to the left of Stuhlinger's. I craned my head to the left, just as the flicker of a small fire ignited from Billy Handsome's lighter, casting a faint glow on his dangerous features.

A chill went down my spine as I backed away from my bars, wanting to avoid Billy's deadly stare. Not to mention the smoke coming from Handsome's cigarette.

"You know the rules, Handsome.", Bertram walked towards Billy's cell, taking out his batton, as he left my field of vision. I didn't need to go to the bars again to know that Bertram had struck Handsome. The sound of a loud smack, along with a pained groan, told me. "No talking."

I heard footsteps fade away, as the sound of a heavy metal door opening pierced my ears. "Lights out!", Bertram ordered loudly. At his command, all the lights on our hall faded away. I looked up to see my cell light lose its own.

"Damn...", I muttered, as I went to lie down on my bed. The air had begun to get cold, just as Handsome began cursing to himself. According to Handsome himself, he 'brought the feeling of death wherever he went.' Any idiot would believe him, but my intellect reminded me that the heater was broken.

As it got colder, I hugged my shivering form, ever so tightly. I dared not use the unwashed blanket, which was most likely a breeding ground for germs.

As my body grew numb from the air, I began to flutter my eyes closed. That is, until I heard Stuhlinger speak again. However, it seemed that he wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, in fact, I could hear the soft scribble of a pencil.

Quietly, I stood up from my bed, as I scrutinized my eyes closely at the cell across from mine. Taking small quiet steps, I made my way toward the bars of my cell to get a better look of the middle-aged man. Stuhlinger sat on the floor leaning against his metal bedpost, with a book in his large hands. In the dim light from the candle, I was able to spot the pencil that I heard a while ago. From where I could see, I noticed that Stuhlinger's glasses were off and his eyes were closed. What on Earth was he-

"I know you're staring, Darlington.", Stuhlinger whispered loudly. He opened his eyes and turned to look at me. Instead of the usual glares that I received from him, his eyes held something _less_ expecting.

Was he about to cry?

He seemed to notice my shock, as he scoffed lightly. He looked down at his book, indicating that he no longer wished to talk to me. I respected his wishes and began to make the small journey to my bed.

 _Stuhlinger's PoV_

I sighed, wanting a bit of company after so long. Russman was dead and so was 'Bitchy Misty'. Marlton, even though he annoyed me to no end, he was the only surviving member of our group. He lost someone close, like I did. Or did we? After so long, I keep thinking that we're just in a dream. A terrible dream. A dream I wanted to wake up from. The voices no longer talked to me, but there was one thing that made me more delusional than the voices.

Reality. Or was I in a dream?

"I'll wake up soon.", I softly whispered, nodding. "I'll wake up to the smell of Misty's bad cooking. I'll wake up to hear more annoying words from Marlton. I'll wake up to see Russman, my only friend."

I smiled big, letting my tears fall as they stained my rough cheeks. I cried because this could be my reality, forever using my delusions to make me feel better. I smiled because this could all be a dream and I'll wake up anytime soon. Until then, I began to cry more. My smile never faded away.

 _Marlton's PoV_

I sighed in my bed, pitying Mr. Stuhlinger. I wondered if Mr. Handsome was getting irritated by the older man's breakdown. A part of me wanted to go back and reason with Stuhlinger, but it was no use when it came to his emotional breakdowns. _The apocalypse broke him, too._

Knowing that it was too late to stay up any longer, I whispered loudly to Stuhlinger, quoting one of my favorite stories. I just hoped that it would lessen his mood just enough for him to go to bed.

"In a Wonderland they lie, dreaming as the days go by, dreaming as the Summers die. Ever drifting down the stream, lingering in the golden gleam life, what is it but a dream?", I closed my eyes after that, hoping to sleep again in this dreary facility.

"Shut up, Darlington.", Stuhlinger replied gruffly in the dark.

 _No one's PoV_

Even if the citation from _Alice in Wonderland_ didn't help Samuel J. Stuhlinger down, it did calm a far more dangerous beast. _Billy Handsome._ He had eavesdropped on the conversation, in order to ignore the painful bruise that had formed on the side of his head. It wasn't the first time he's eavesdropped on a conversation between Marlton and Stuhlinger, but this one was different. This one actually had meaning. Earlier that day, he listened to Marlton's shenanigans about numerous escape plans. If he was delusional like Stuhlinger, he would've mistaken Marlton as Weasel. That wouldn't be good for the fragile nerd. Tonight, behind his cell wall, Billy could feel the hopelessness in Stuhlinger's tone and the pleading in Marlton's quotation. _Those idiots_ , Billy thought. He knew that prison wasn't the place to give false hope to anyone. So, why didn't he stop Marlton from lecturing Stuhlinger about it in the form of a boring citation? He'll admit it, it sounded hilarious at the time.

Billy shook his head, snapping back into reality, as he took a puff from his cigarette. _Thank God_ , he thought. _They didn't confiscate my pack._ While he smoked, he listened to their loud snores. How they were able to find sleep in a place like this, was beyond his comprehension. He hated to admit it, but he actually missed Alcatraz. At least there, he had his boys to feel a bit better in their situation. Now, Finn and Weasel were long dead. Sal was somewhere here, probably still awake, but also in despair about everything that had happened before their new imprisonment.

As Billy's mind started to get a buzz-like feel to the nicotine, he started to contemplate on every detail of his past. Living in New Jersey in the 30's was no laughing matter. With no businesses to provide work, most of the boys began to rob every man, woman, and child to survive in a broken era. Billy could've been like the others, he could've been another young adult robbing others to keep himself fed, but he didn't. His mother was a kind Christian woman, and she was determined to shield her only son from the sins that plagued Jersey. His father was a hardworking man, one of the few that actually had a job still, but it wasn't enough. His father had said that he would travel up North to look for another job. Billy remembered the day that two police officers from a small town in New York came to their house. They had found his father's corpse, horribly mutilated by the wheels of an oncoming train to Maine.

He had jumped at the wrong time.

After that, his kind, Christian mother wasn't the same. At all. She had lost her rosy cheeks that he once found lovely, her blue eyes had lost their sparkle, and her strawberry blonde curls faded into a horrible pale color. The most beautiful woman he had ever known was slowly fading away from his eyes.

He could still recall the days that his mother would spend most Sundays out of the house, doing things that a religious woman would find disgraceful. After his mother's sudden death, he decided to get away from New Jersey for good. There was nothing there for him anymore.

Although he would never tell anyone, he had dreams of being a big-time actor. He had the looks and he knew ways of getting what he wanted. He moved to Chicago to start his career, but after that one rainy night in that sinful city...

Billy growled low, as he snapped out of his high haze. _That was enough going down Memory Lane_ , he snorted, as he threw his faded cigarette against his cell wall.

Billy huffed out a long sigh, reaching a hand up to his bruise. It no longer bothered him, which he was thankful for. _A shame memories couldn't be the same._

 **Damn, I feel...sad now. 0.0**

 **I'm sowwy Billy ;-;**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed! Be sure to vote, comment, and follow me! Bye**


	2. Einsatzgruppe - Task Force

_Dr. Monty's PoV_

In a world, where the undead are still roaming the universes all because of the aftermath of the bloody Shadowman and his evil apprentice's works, I'm happy enough to still enjoy a meal, consisting of steak and seasoned potatoes. I'm even happier to enjoy it with Maxis and the children.

"Children, I need you to go upstairs. Maxis and I need to talk.", I announced, smiling softly at the children before me.

The mini versions of the American and Russian nodded, as they got up from the table and ran upstairs. I could still hear their faint laughter, as the Japanese pushed in his chair and walked upstairs, shaking his head at his companions. Little Eddie and Samantha looked at me and Maxis, worried, but I assured them that it was nothing bad.

"Come on, Eddie.", Samantha said, getting up and tugging on his pajama sleeve. "Let's go and play."

Eddie nodded as he got up, intertwining his fingers with Samantha's, as they went upstairs, Samantha leading the way.

 _Those two were inseparable ever since the young lad first came to The House._

"Dr. Monty, what's wrong?", Maxis asked, taking a sip of his red wine. "Normally, you're very talkative at dinner."

"Well, if I hadn't found out that the undead were still in the fucking universes, even if we imprisoned the Shadowman and his assistant, I'd be happy as a clam!", I exclaimed. I frowned. "But I'm not."

"The undead are not in this universe.", Maxis replied, putting a small potato in his mouth. "The children are safe."

"The children will never be safe, as long as they're out there!", I snapped. Noticing Maxis' startled look, I rubbed my forehead, apologizing quietly. "It won't be long, until they make their way here."

Maxis stayed silent for a moment, taking a long sip of his wine again. After setting the glass down, he cleared his throat. "What do you suggest we do, Dr. Monty?"

I quirked my lips faintly up at him. "I'm glad you asked." I reached down and pulled out a total of nine beige folders. Seven of the files had a label from their respected origins. _Wunderbarer Traum._ The other two were simply plain.

"This cheerful duck wants to assemble a task force of our remaining bastards to do one more good act for the children.", I said, bringing my glass of wine to my nose, sniffing the intoxicating smell first. I tipped my head back and began to drink every single drop of the alcohol. Setting the empty glass down, I let out a satisfied sigh, smiling at a disturbed Maxis. "We send them to finish off the dead. Every last one of them."

"Dr. Monty, we cannot.", Maxis simply replied, pushing his empty plate away. He crossed his arms on the table, looking at me sternly, like I was another child in this house. I frowned back at him.

"Honestly, Maxis, think of it. These bastards are already immune to the element! They have had experience with millions of these bloody bastards.", I chucked. "Killing another million wouldn't hurt them, right?"

Maxis frowned a bit more at me, before looking away. At this moment, I knew he was in deep thought, so I waited patiently. After a while, Maxis looked back at me.

"I would like to know your ' _team_ ', Dr. Monty. Perhaps then, will I think about it."

I smiled, opening the first folder, greeted by a picture of a young man with short black hair and glasses. _The nerd._

"Marlton Johnson, but after reading a few graphic comics of villians coming together to do good, I have decided to give everyone in this team a nickname. For Mr. Johnson, _**DeadShot**_."

Maxis looked wearily at Marlton. He scrutinized his blue eyes at his picture. "Why does this man look so familiar?"

I smiled. "Unknown to Johnson, he used to work for America's version of Group 935, as one of their leading scientists. He made sure everything was kept in place,". My tone grew darker. "But the zombies soon overtook America's facilities. As a way to save him, for he had crucial evidence that many would kill him for, every scientist became an accomplice to brainwashing his brain. During the apocalypse, he met a floozy that he fell in love with, but their love was cut short when she was killed. She tried to save her fellow survivor, but both of them were overwhelmed by the dead. While everything was still a shit show, Marlton traveled to the surviving city of New York, where he decided to use his 'talent' to his advantage."

"Which is?", Maxis asked curiously. I smiled. "Killing people. That woman had taught him more than just love. She taught him to survive in a cruel world, by being your own savior. Soon, our gifted nerd became the apocalypse's feared hitman. Communities hired him to take down leaders that proved as a threat to the surviving population. He survived on his own, with his payment of food, water, shelter, and medicine. According to the few sanctuaries based in New York, _'he never misses a shot'_."

"How did you even catch him?", Maxis asked astonished. I smiled a bit wider at him.

"I didn't. I bribed a pretty blonde to take him down. _**The Femme Fatale**_ , or better known as Jessica Rose.", I chuckled as I remembered an incident with her.

"Nearly stabbed me, because she got mad at me when I called her _**Batman**_. Anyway, I've seen what she can do and I was impressed. I decided to recruit her for the sole purpose of tracking and taking down each person in my team. In return, I'd offer her a relocation on a safer Earth, where she becomes a famous actress, starring in America's biggest movies. So, she accepted it.", I popped a small potato into my mouth, chewing. "In less than a week, she brought me an unconscious Marlton Johnson."

"Next person, Dr. Monty.", Maxis piped up, before sipping his wine.

I opened up the next folder to a pretty blonde with mysterious but lovely blue eyes, like the color of her bloodstream. All thanks to Element 115. _The crazy blonde._

"She's a new specimen, but an interesting one. Dr. Jacqueline Hermann, but her actual name is Lily Davis. Her origins is unknown, but she worked as the assistant for Group 935 scientist, Dr. Edward Richtofen, during both World Wars. She thought she was helping him with his work, but from anyone's point of view, she was falling in love with him.", I scoffed. "That's when our good girl turned bad."

"After their long perilous journey, jumping through space and time, they got to where they wanted to be. Survivors looked to them as _royalty_ and they became the 'King and Queen of the Dead'.", I narrowed my eyes at Lily's picture, before turning to Maxis. "It was a dark time with those two in rule, but now with them gone, the undead roam the universes without a ruler." I smiled. "They'll soon be wiped out."

"But she and Dr. Richtofen have been caught, right?", Maxis asked, sounding hopeful.

"Which one?", I scoffed. At that moment, I placed a mythical-looking jar on the table. Maxis widened his eyes at the details that decorated the object. "Our young Edward is nowhere to be found, but in this jar, we have our World War II version's soul." I placed the jar on the ground, sighing.

"Ms. Rose was able to get Lily, after a traditional 'catfight'. It's good though, Dr. Maxis. Between her and Origins Edward, she's much more crazier, due to the fact that he...", I trailed off, looking away. I cleared my throat, as I loosened my scarf a bit. "Anyway, it's best that I gave her an appropriate nickname, _**Harley Quinn**_ _._ "

"Then, there's Richtofen's favorite puppet.", I chuckled, opening the third file. The middle-aged man in the photo had the most bloodiest smile I had ever laid eyes on. _The cannibal_.

"My God!", Maxis gasped, covering his mouth. "Why is his mouth bleeding?"

"It's the blood from his team, Dr  
Maxis. Samuel J. Stuhlinger, or in this case, _**Killer Croc**_. He was a member of the surviving cannibal group, The Flesh. When word got out that Stuhlinger wanted to leave the group, many began to plan out his murder. Unfortunately, Samuel found out and the result was very _messy_. He executed his former allies, before he made an enormous meal out of them. He imagined their fat as steak, their teeth as hard white rice, and their blood as strong red wine..."

Maxis gagged, a signal to not continue describing what Samuel made out of the members' bodies. I, on the other hand, took a big bite from my steak. After I wiped my mouth with a napkin, I continued.

"With his only friend dead, Marlton's lover gone, and Marlton leaving for New York, Samuel found sanctuary in the sewers of different cities. He always kept moving, being paranoid that someone would find him. Nonetheless, Jessica brought him down, along with the raw carcass of a dead animal that he had."

"Continue quickly, Dr. Monty.", Maxis sputtered, looking a bit green. Maxis was a bit squeamish nowadays.

I nodded, opening another file. The picture of a handsome man with gorgeous blue eyes glared at me with a dangerous smirk. _The psychopathic hitman._

"His real name is Benjamin Henderson, but in the underworld empire of crime and everyone else, Billy Handsome was everyone's scariest hitman. _**Slipknot**_. Decided to call him that, after seeing that he left nooses around each of his victim's neck, as his signature for his work. Anyway, when he traveled to Chicago to be an aspiring actor, he caught the interest of a feared mob boss. After he saved Billy, he persuaded the young lad into a life of crime and Billy succumbed to it. Salvatore Deluca was his boss and father figure. Young Billy was Salvatore's hitman, apprentice, and 'son'.  
Talk about a twisted 'father and son bond' in Hell.", I shuddered.

"Go on.", Maxis said, looking at me with concerned eyes. I nodded, clearing my throat. "He's unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with. He's in Wunderbarer Traum for a whole different reason, Max. Nonetheless, he'll be a part of this mission."

"That reason is, Monty?", Maxis asked, bringing his glass of wine to his lips.

"116 counts of murder.", I answered. Maxis choked on his wine, violently coughing. He stared at me with wide eyes. "Mein gott, that many?"

I smiled. "Our Billy loves being in the spotlight, Maxis. However, our darling Jessica is willing to die for it. She seduced him, before bringing him down and taking him to justice." I opened to the next file, ignoring Maxis' horrified face.

Speak of the devil. His dark brown eyes glared right at me. _The mob boss._

"Salvatore Deluca, otherwise known as _**Captain Boomerang**_. He ran his infamous empire of gambling, prostitution, and alcohol distribution for years! He had connections with Chicago City Hall and the Morg City Police Department. He was untouchable, with his mob behind him, but he made sure to not miss any of the fun. His skills with tomahawks are deadly in his hands. He decapitated his victims from afar, leaving their heads rolling around on the fucking floor. His tomahawks never miss their shot. However, our mob boss was finally captured, along with his gang. Landing in Alcatraz, he and Billy were captured there by Jessica, while Albert and Finn were left to die. Now, Sal's in Wunderbarer Traum, wondering if he'll ever get out of his new bloody cell."

"Bastard...", Maxis muttered, looking at Sal's picture. I turned to the next file.

"Have you heard of angry Russians that can control fire, Max?", I asked, looking at the Russian's picture. Baby blue eyes filled with grief and anger looked at me. I paid no attention to his eyes, as his burnt skin caught my sight. _The Russian._

"Nikolai Belinski, the man who didn't know what he had until it was gone. After losing his wife in a bomb raid that happened in Stalingrad, Nikolai started drinking to numb that pain out. He became sober later on, but it was bad timing. All that shit with the multiverse changed him, physically and emotionally, more than vodka ever did. He ran too carelessly back in Gorod Krovi, which resulted in a Group 935 dragon burning him badly and his newfound powers after he recovered. The man is now a human fucking torch! Otherwise known as _**El Diablo**_.", I exclaimed, running a gloved hand through my wild white hair. "Jessica took him down with a fire extinguisher."

"Mein gott...", Maxis breathed, a bit fascinated and scared of the Russian's appearance. I cleared my throat, pouring more wine into my glass.

"I saved the best for last. The demon.", I sipped my wine.

Maxis widened his eyes, sputtering. "A d- demon?"

"I'm talking about the big bastard that's best friends with the Apothicons. The one responsible for the destruction of so many worlds. My old friend."

Maxis caught on, as he looked down in disbelief. "We imprisoned him in the Summoning Key. We hid him in the jungles of Central America. How did he..."

I sighed, opening the next file. _The bloody magician._

"The failing magician, Nero Blackstone. Desperate for cash and for a glorious career again, he read from a book about an artifact that would grant the user magical abilities. So, our handsome fellow spent the rest of his money on a ticket to Peru, to search for the temple that held it. He found it, but like Pandora's Box, he wasn't supposed to open it. He released an entity more powerful than any that we've encountered...The Shadowman.", I looked up at Maxis. "He inhabits Mr. Blackstone's body." I forced a chuckle out, despite the intense atmosphere. "If Nero or the Shadowman were female, I'd nickname them the _**Enchantress**_.

"Where is he?", a new angry voice spoke up. Maxis and I glanced at the doorway, looking at a terrified Samantha and an upset Eddie.

"In my pocket, young Eddie.", I replied, smiling lightly. "Now leave."

Eddie frowned deeper, before disappearing, while Samantha stood there. "Why hasn't the bad man attacked?", Samantha asked, her bottom lip quivering.

"Go, little one. This has nothing to do with you or the others.", Maxis frowned at her small form. Although she looked offended, Samantha nodded before going away. Maxis turned to me and cleared his throat. "Why hasn't he, Dr. Monty?"

"The Shadowman is powerful and all, but he has a weakness. According to that book Nero read, the Summoning Key controls him, meaning he'll do anything for it. He had it when he possessed Nero, but his excitement of being free made him forget about it. So, I sent the Keepers and Jessica to retrieve it and the little ball is in my possession.", I said, reaching into my pocket, pulling out the artifact for Maxis to see. He stared in awe at the glowing artifact.

"When I encountered the Shadowman for the first time in a few years, I forced him to give back Nero, which he obeyed but the bastard is still in there. Not sure how we'll get him out.", I said, placing the Summoning Key back in my pocket. "The important thing is, they're in Wunderbarer Traum, all thanks to _Jessica the Temptress_.

"Forgive me, Monty, but I must complain. You expect me _and_ the children to put our lives in the hands of possessed humans, cannibals, criminals, and Richtofen's girlfriend?!", Maxis scowled, wrinkling his nose. "What makes you think you can control these _monsters_?"

"I may not be an all powerful being like my ex- best friend, but I know how to get people to work for things that they deeply desire. But just in case...", I opened the last two files at the same time, revealing two pictures of an American and a Japanese. "I took the precaution to hire _reinforcements_." _The good soldier and the loyal servant._

 _"Tank Dempsey, the badass Marine..._ _ **Rick Flag**_ _."_

"And Takeo Masaki...the honorable bastard. _**Katana**_."

"Why do you think these two can get the job done?", Maxis asked, looking at Takeo and Dempsey's photos in disbelief.

I smiled. "They've been fighting against evil since the beginning. The others are just a break from what they're used to.", I smiled down at everyone's pictures, as their intense stares met me.

"Have faith, Maxis. Trust me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
 **Chapter 2 completed! Give me a cookie for my achievement! *.***

 **Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed! Be sure to vote, comment, and follow me! Bye**


	3. Heimsuchung - Visitation

_Tank's PoV_

"Let me get this straight, Monty. Me and you are gonna see these bastards, all because you think they'll be _good_ soldiers?", I asked, frowning at the old man.

"Absolutely, Dempsey. After all, you fought alongside them in another life before."

I narrowed my eyes deeper at him. "That was years ago, doc. I'm not sure that you know that these people aren't the same."

"Not even Lily?", Monty asked slowly. I gritted my teeth, raising my fist in the air. Monty wasn't fazed in the slightest. _Tough bastard._

Knowing it was useless, I sighed, letting my fist fall to my side in defeat. "That's a different case. _She's_ different."

"A very different and crazy basket case," Monty mused. "Now, tell Bertram to open the gates."

I huffed loudly, looking up at the security camera that looked at us closely. I grimaced at the thought of another German looking at me, like a new subject to experiment on. _Oh, those were the days._

"Hey, German!", I barked. "Open the damn gates!"

On command, the rusty, iron gates of the facility opened slowly; an annoying, screeching sound created by the process.

Monty took a deep breath, before taking a big step forward. He looked back at me with a grin. "Shall we, Thomas?" He grinned wider. "Or do you prefer Ringo?"

"Shut up."

 _Monty's PoV_

"I'll look in this area. You look in the other ones."

Tank nodded, as he followed another guard to a caged elevator. After he stepped in, he looked at me, biting his bottom lip. _He was nervous for sure._

 _Perhaps I mistook him as a brave soldier._

I gave him a small nod of encouragement, before I followed Bertram down an empty hall. I heard the loud buzz of the elevator being activated, as an indication that Dempsey had left the current floor to his destination.

I looked in each cell that I passed by, a bit surprised that I didn't see anyone. Bertram caught onto my confusion, as he let out a snort.

"The freaks aren't here, Monty. One's in the rec room, one got moved underground, and the rest are out in the courtyard."

"May I see who's in the rec room?", I asked, picking up the faint sound of a piano being played. Bertram nodded, as he opened another metal door. After a few more turns, Bertram stopped in front of a beige door. The bold, black letters that spelled 'Rec Room' were printed on the door, large and capitalized. I had noted that the music was coming from behind the door.

I sighed. "Mr. Johnson would've been a fantastic pianist."

Bertram let out a lighthearted chuckle. "You'd be surprised who's got some talent in this shithole." Bertram unlocked the door, revealing the inside of the beige-colored rec room.

A small television hung from the ceiling, showcasing nothing but a static screen. An uncomfortable-looking couch faced the screen, but it seemed useless to anyone. I scanned the nearly bare room, before facing to the direction of the piano.

 _Well, well, well._

He wanted to be an actor. This handsome bastard was a gifted pianist!

"Benjamin Henderson..."

Abruptly, the angelic music stopped with an awfully loud note. The man turned from his seat quickly, looking at me with furious eyes.

"That's Billy fuckin' Handsome to you, old man!", he barked.

"Calm down, mutt.", Bertram ordered, venom dripping in his words.

Billy snapped his wild, blue eyes at Bertram, before turning back around to the piano, ignoring us. Just like that, he had turned from a dangerous beast to a sophisticated man. _Strange_. Perhaps the image that I was looking at was a tiny glimpse of what could've been the real Billy Handsome. What could've been Benjamin Henderson.

I sighed, taking a risk by sitting next to Billy. Bertram aimed his taser at him, in case things went terribly wrong. Like I said to Maxis, I wasn't powerful.

"Okay, _Billy_." I looked at the notes on the piano. "Who taught you to play?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't," I said blankly. "I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat.", Billy mused darkly.

"And curiosity was erased from the dictionary.", Bertram added, standing beside me, still aiming his taser at Billy.

Billy scoffed, running his fingers on the piano keys. "I ain't talkin'. Might as well leave."

"Without hearing you play?", I asked, pouting lightly. Billy snorted. "Hell no."

 _Tank's PoV_

"Open up!", I ordered to the annoyed guard, who sat in the security room. With an exaggerated sigh, he pressed one of the many buttons, initiating a loud buzz. Suddenly, the large gate opened and I stepped in, looking at the prisoner in front of me. My heart throbbed at seeing her wild, blonde hair. _The same hair I used to run my fingers through, long ago._

Her back was faced towards me, but I knew that she sensed someone had entered. She turned around quickly, widening her blue eyes slightly. "Tank?", Lily whispered. I cleared my throat, walking closer to her cell.

"Lily, it's me."

She skipped towards me, giving me her award-winning smile. I would've smiled too, had we've been in a different situation. She frowned a bit. "Why aren't you smiling?"

"I feel bad for you, Lily.", I sighed, looking at her with pained, blue eyes.

She let out a small sniffle. "I know. My poor Edward is lonely without me."

 _No one's PoV_

Tank Dempsey felt a sharp pain in his chest, but he ignored the feeling as he bit the corner of his bottom lip harshly. _Edward Richtofen._ That devil in the Wermacht uniform had corrupted Lily, in every way possible. He made her insane, just like himself. In Dempsey's eyes, he felt the need to save her; the need to claim her as his.

Even if it had been so long, Dempsey could still remember the nights in Kino when he held Lily in his arms, in order to keep her from hurting herself. He remembered the time they shared their first kiss. He sucked in a breath as he remembered her soft, rosy lips dominating, against his rough ones. He remembered the soft caresses and soft words that they shared when Richtofen wasn't watching. _He loved her._ Tank Dempsey, the American war hero, couldn't resist the charms of the mentally insane Lily Davis.

Even after the entire journey, all the help he offered and the love he showed, he didn't get her in the end. _She had chosen Richtofen._

As he looked at her now, he could feel the memories rush back to him, hitting him hard like a bullet.

 _But it wasn't just her looks that made him persistent. His feelings ran far deeper for her than any other woman that he ever 'loved'._

 _She was fierce and defiant, like a loaded gun. He was attracted to strong women. She was far more intelligent than even Richtofen. She could be his teacher, any day. Even when things turned for the worst, Lily heaved her chest like an angry bull, possessed with bravery. She would've fitted in perfectly with the Marines._

In his mind, he knew she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She said it herself when they were in their many intimate sessions.

 _They could've been beautiful._

But after all they went through, all the bloodshed they endured, Tank Dempsey never thought that he would lose in the end.

 _Tank's PoV_

Lily giggled loudly, causing me to snap out of my mind. "Once I get out of here, the King and Queen of the Dead will reign together once more."

I sighed, faking a smile. She smiled brighter, her blue eyes twinkled. _Damn, those eyes still got to me._ "You're smiling!" She squealed.

"That's because of you.", I said.

 _Now that was the truth._

 _Marlton's PoV_

"Where on Earth are you taking me!?", I demanded, struggling in my restraints. No one responded, as they dragged me across another dirty floor to another door. I shuddered at the germs that were on my form now. Most likely, planning an invasive attack on my immune system.

 _Bruises, humiliation, and germs! Oh my._

At last, the officers stopped at a door, which I hoped was the last one I had to go through.

An officer reached down and pulled me to my feet, roughly. I immediately recognized the black, slick gloves on my arms as the ones of Bertram. I narrowed my eyes at him as he smirked coldly at me.

As the door opened, Bertram and another officer grabbed me by my shoulders and carried me outside. I almost let out a whimper, due to the condition of my body.

Fighting back the whimper of pain, I lifted my head up, greeted by the small raindrops that fell on the lens of my cracked glasses. Not to mention on the bruises that I had just acquired, due to my pathetic attempt to disobey an order.

I had quite enough with the mistreatment that these thugs in lawful men's clothing unleashed on me and my fellow inmates.

 _I did the illogical way of standing up to them. Immediately, I paid the price for it._

As the drops of water hit my injured face and body, I remembered an author by the name of Foster, who claimed that rain could mean anything. _Right now, the precipitation filled me with the urge to fall to my knees and pitifully beg one of the officers to put me down already. Even Bertram._

Before I was able to do that, a new voice spoke.

"Hello, Marlton. So nice to see you."

I looked forward to see an elderly man in homeless-like clothing smiling at me. Next to him was a man in military clothing, staring at me with fierce, blue eyes.

"Let him go.", the soldier said. The officers looked at me wearily, as they untied my restraints. I watched as the material that held me fall to my feet. I frowned a bit, stepping out of it slowly, hissing from the pain of my bruised legs. "What is happening?", I asked, looking at the two new faces suspiciously, while rubbing my sore arms.

"Forgive me for the mystery that I'm displaying, Mr. Johnson. I'm Dr. Monty."

"I'm Tank Dempsey. Now, let's get down to business." The eyes of the soldier twinkled at his own words.

"What could you possibly want from me?", I asked, studying Monty and Tank closely.

 _With my restraints off, I could easily escape. Though I was badly injured, I could bear through the pain, just long enough to quickly escape._

 _I needed a plan. More importantly, I needed a weapon to easily defend myself._

"A little birdie told me that you never miss a shot." The soldier smirked, walking towards a table that was oblivious to me at the time.

 _A table with guns._

I smirked lightly at this. The officers knew they couldn't trust me with weapons and the two foolish men didn't seem intimidating enough to be a challenge. _Everyone around me seemed to purposely display the fact that they wanted to die by my bullets._

"Don't even think about it, nerd.", Tank snapped. "Don't fuck with a Marine."

Behind my glasses, I narrowed my eyes at him.

 _Note to self, borrow a bar of the facility's soap and a pair of cleaning gloves to scrub Tank Dempsey's mouth clean._

Monty cleared his throat. "Show us what you can do, _DeadShot_."

I raised an eyebrow at him before slowly walking towards the table. Looking at the row of different guns, I scanned each of them. Snipers, assault rifles, pistols, and even an RPG were displayed before me. I smiled at this, feeling like a child receiving an extraordinary gift.

I picked up an MR6, bringing it to my eyes to inspect it. _Fully loaded and the safety was off._

"It's loaded.", I said, breaking the silence. I glanced up at the makeshift firing range, consisting of seven targets. I gripped the MR6 tightly at the adrenaline that began to rush through my veins.

"You know what to do, Johnson.", Tank muttered.

 _Yes, I know. I know what I have to do._

Gripping the trigger, I turned around quickly, aiming at Bertram's head. I ignored the pain of my body, as my complete focus was on the German. Bertram and everyone else started to panic, aiming their own weapons at me. Bertram, however, didn't have his gun. As a way to _save_ his own life, he held his hands up.

"Bertram, tell your boys to drop their weapons!", Tank shouted. I smirked, whispering the same thing to a frightened Bertram.

"Put your weapons down!", Bertram ordered to his officers. They all complied, but I still aimed the MR6 at Bertram.

"Come on, Johnson. I didn't even hit you once!"

I scoffed, making my tone grow deadly by each passing second. "No, you watched." My finger twitched on the trigger. "You mocked my love."

"Okay, okay! Sure, I said some things about your girl, but you weren't supposed to take them seriously. I-"

Filled with rage, I pulled the trigger, firing the bullet beside Bertram's head, taking his breath away completely.

"Fick!", he cursed in his native tongue, clenching his eyes shut. I let out a satisfied chuckle before turning around and firing one bullet in each of the seven targets' heads.

 _He and the others may have tormented me and the others, but it wouldn't be reasonable enough to kill any of them. After all, I was still alive._

 _Broken, depressed, and slowly losing my mentality, but alive._

After I emptied the MR6, I quickly picked up the DSR-50 and looked through the scope. Bullet by bullet, I fired at the same marks that I made with the MR6 on the targets. After I placed the sniper down, my mind began to focus so much, that I easily forgot which gun I had just used.

One by one, however, I went through each and every gun, shooting at the same marks. _Everyone was right about me; I never missed a shot._

With no more bullets to my disposal, I took up the RPG, resting the end on my shoulder. I aimed for the circular area in the middle, firing a single shot from the weapon. Just as I had predicted, all of the targets were obliterated, leaving behind pieces of debris flying everywhere.

I let out a loud whistle, before setting up all the weapons down neatly and in order by class. I turned around to face an impressed Monty and Tank.

"I showed you what I'm clearly capable of.", I smiled, showing off my arrogance. The bruises were no longer bringing me down. _Just a part of a really bad day._

I walked towards to the restraints and slipped them back on, resting my eyes on a particular officer that I began to speak to. "Barney, take me back to solitary confinement." I turned my gaze back to Monty and Tank.  
"These dirty, little lambs have just been silenced."

 **Damn Marlton. All time nerd, part time savage xD. Hope y'all enjoyed! Be sure to vote, comment, and follow me! Bye**


	4. Zauberer - Sorcerer

_Dr. Monty_

"Dr. Monty, you must be out of your mind!", Maxis whispered angrily at me, as he took a seat with my fellow brethren. I ignored his childish demeanor as I took a seat beside him, sneaking a glance down the table at Tank Dempsey and our _important_ _guest_. I glanced back at my fellow Keepers, listening to their frightened whispers as they motioned to Mr. Blackstone, who tried desperately to sink further down into his seat. Maxis cleared his throat loudly as he stood up from his seat, waiting for everyone to settle down. As soon as everyone's whispers died down completely, he spoke in the most professional tone I have ever heard yet.

"Keepers," Maxis' voice boomed loudly against the walls of the room. "I would like for you all to picture a scenario in your marvelous minds. Be very silent and think long and hard of what I am going to say. What if our heroes didn't reverse the corrupted spell that fell upon each of you? What if I wasn't freed from the Summoning Key? What if our Primis men failed their mission and the Shadowman took the children away? Who would've saved the universes and the children then?"

Maxis turned to me and nodded, before facing the Keepers again. "It can still happen, unless Dr. Monty has a solution to our problem."

I stood up from the table and made my way towards the end. "He tells me that he has a _plan._ ", Maxis scoffed. Silently, he took his seat and stared at me as the other Keepers turned their heads in my direction.

"I do, Maxis. So listen." I snapped. I turned to my fellow brethren with a forced smile. "I want to assemble a team of survivors that went rogue after the apocalypse. They may be judgmental, but their skills in combat might be useful in our time of need." The Keepers whispered frantically to each other in their native tongue, before turning to face me again. _"How can you control them?",_ a Keeper hissed in his language. I smirked. "Observe."

"Mr. Blackstone." I glanced at the nervous magician. He looked up at me as his entire form shivered, something that wasn't like him at all.

 _But anyone in his expensive shoes would be petrified about having a dangerous, unwanted entity attached to their body, like a parasite._

So petrified that his brown eyes widened and his large mustache seemed to have jumped when I pulled the Summoning Key from my pocket. "Come here.", I ordered.

Nero bit his bottom lip, turning his head to Dempsey for approval. Dempsey nodded, signaling Nero to obey my command. Nero took a visible, shaky breath before slowly getting up from his seat, taking his time to stand next to me. "I don't want to do this.", he whispered to me. The fear in his voice was evident that he was afraid. "Do not make me do this.", Nero begged. I looked at him with hard, blue eyes. "You'll be fine, Mr. Blackstone.", I said impatiently.

A mix of emotions flashed in his eyes as he nodded his head in defeat, putting his trembling hands on the table to support his shaking form. He closed his frightened, brown eyes as he exhaled a long breath. The fear in him was obvious, but I hoped that deep in his heart, that he would know that I wouldn't abandon him to the Shadowman. That would be inhumane on my part.

"Shadowman...", Nero whispered in a tone that tried desperately to be calm.

I looked around to see everyone in a state of panic as the lights in the room started to flicker, the table started to shake uncontrollably, and a dark purple mist began to surround Nero's lower body. _The transformation was beginning._ I looked down at Nero's trembling hands, witnessing a pair of dark gloved ones about to cover Nero's. Nero snapped his eyes open, looking down in horror as he realized his time in control was nearly up. He gritted his teeth, as his hands were covered completely. I slowly looked up from his hands to the rest of his form to see my old friend's eyes glaring at everyone in the room.

"Jesus Christ...", Tank muttered in disbelief, looking at the Shadowman with weary eyes. The Shadowman chuckled darkly, clasping his gloved hands together. "Meet the Shadowman once again, gentlemen.", I spoke as the Keepers began to speak frantically in their language. "He was one of our own before the Apothicons took him away. He and the Apothicons have destroyed almost every universe in existence and will most likely continue, until the mortals are long gone."

"A shady sorcerer fused with an even shadier demon is willing to fight against his creations?", Tank asked, gaining nods of approval from Maxis and the Keepers.

Maxis was the one to voice his. "Mr. Dempsey is right, Dr. Monty. How can we trust an individual that murdered his wife for money and an individual that placed me in that damned Summoning Key to escape his imprisonment?"

"You're an expert at taking a lady's life, Maxis.", Dempsey muttered as he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed. "Not to mention you were a part of Group 935, after all. In my book, you're just as bad as _them_."

Maxis glared down the table at Dempsey. "You would be in Wunderbarer Traum with Richtofen's whore if it wasn't for me valuing you as... _special._ " His tone grew darker. "Do not make me reconsider my decision."

"Enough!" I banged my fist on the table, causing everyone to be silent. The Shadowman let out a low chuckle, amused at the situation unfolding before him. I ignored him as I regained my composure.

"A sorcerer or demon and despite their dark reputation, both men can do many great things." I turned to the Shadowman, looking at him. My former friend glared at me, his smirk falling into a disgusted frown. After so many years, it was still difficult to accept the truth that he would never revert back to his original, charming self. The influence of the Dark Aether and the Apothicons had grown too much for him to simply go back. I frowned deeply, looking past his angry eyes. "Go get it.", I commanded.

The Shadowman looked down at the Summoning Key in my tight grasp and then looked up at me. I challenged him with my hard eyes, daring him to do something regretful. He frowned deeper and closed his eyes. I took a step back as the purple mist climbed up on his body, covering him from his hat to his feet. The others watched carefully as the purple mist died down quickly, revealing no sign of the Shadowman's presence.

Tank Dempsey was the first to act as he jumped out from his seat, looking around the room. He grabbed his gun from his holster, switching the safety mode off. "Where the fuck is he, Monty!?", Dempsey barked as he aimed his gun at different directions of the room.

"He'll be back.", I simply stated, gripping the Summoning Key tighter in my hand. In that moment, the purple mist seeped through the corners of the walls, catching everyone's attention. Dempsey aimed at it as it passed him and the others at the table, stopping right in front of me. I watched it carefully as it began to form the shape of a person quickly, before the mist decreased, revealing the face of the Shadowman and his upper body. With a groan, he shoved something to my chest as he stepped away from me. Fortunately, he didn't knock the Summoning Key out of my hand, which was most likely his motive to shove the object so hard into my chest.

"Is that what I think it is?", Dempsey asked, widening his eyes. The Keepers whispered among themselves, staring at the Kronorium in my arms. "Mein Gott...", Maxis breathed out. "I thought it was lost after the war..."

"If I can control the 'powerful' Shadowman to bring me the 'lost' Kronorium, then perhaps I can control the others as well." I looked at the Shadowman with a smirk. "After all, everyone has a weakness." He growled at my comment.

"Explain, Dr. Monty.", Maxis demanded. I chuckled as I looked at everyone.

"Without the Summoning Key and Mr. Blackstone's body, the Shadowman would not listen. Without the fear of the Shadowman's control over his well-being and my help, Nero Blackstone wouldn't follow my orders. Without promising her that I would ensure her a reunion with Dr. Richtofen, Lily Davis wouldn't be interested. Without offering them a pardon for their crimes, Salvatore Deluca and Billy Handsome wouldn't listen. Without ensuring that I would find a way to bring back 'the voices' in his head, Samuel J. Stuhlinger wouldn't listen. Without the promise I made to him about finding a way to heal his wounds and unnatural abilities, Nikolai Belinski wouldn't listen. But most of all, if I hadn't offered him a way to see his beloved Abigail Briarton again, Marlton Johnson wouldn't have thought about my plan."

Tank Dempsey sighed, sitting up in his chair. "If those freaks are willing to fight," He looked at the Keepers. "Then I'll be on board with Monty's plan." The Keepers whispered to each other again, before turning to me. _"So be it."_

I nodded, turning my attention to the Shadowman, who was eyeing Dr. Maxis from afar. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'd like Mr. Blackstone back." The Shadowman narrowed his eyes, while the purple mist began to vibrate violently against his body.

I was unfazed by this, though I knew that it was one of his ways to attack. Without a second to lose, I gripped the Summoning Key as hard as I could, making sure to slightly damage the light blue writings. The Shadowman's eyes widened at this as the purple mist around him began to faze out. He let out a pained scream as the mist, with some trouble, covered him from head to toe, disguising his weakened expression. The mist disappeared, revealing a frightened Nero Blackstone as he hugged himself as he shook violently.

"You didn't tell me it wouldn't be that long!", Nero sputtered out as he looked at the Summoning Key. "I don't want to do that again!" He looked at me with eyes that showed nothing but fear. "Don't make me do that again!"

I groaned, waving him off as I looked over at Tank Dempsey. "Dempsey, take him back." He nodded as he placed his hand on Nero's shoulder, guiding him to the door. I cleared my throat as I looked at the others in the room. I smiled. "When can I send them out?"

Sorry for the short hiatus, y'all! I'm hoping to update this from now on! Hope y'all enjoyed! Be sure to vote, comment, and follow me! Bye!

Note to readers on Fanfiction: For quicker updates, follow me on Wattpad :)


	5. Vertraue Mir - Trust in Me

_No one's PoV_

They had heard everything from the stairs that they were perched on. The children were ordered to stay in their rooms and to not venture downstairs because their caretakers were expecting guests in one room that was forbidden for them to play in. Samantha Maxis mused earlier to the others that it reminded her of the story that her father read to her sometimes about the Virgin Mary warning the little girl in the story about the thirteenth door that she should never open. Nonetheless, Samantha desperately wanted to go into the room that held the meeting, just like the little girl in the story did.

"It isn't like Hell is behind the door, Sam.", the young Tank Dempsey mumbled. He stared intently at the door. "That's not how this story will go."

"So, what do you think they're talking about?", Samantha pondered aloud, as she scratched her dog, Fluffy, behind her ear.

"From that sneak peek of those monsters, it could be anything.", the young Nikolai Belinski replied as he sat next to the young Takeo Masaki. Takeo nodded and slowly got up to his bare feet. "We cannot linger here anymore. It sounds like they are almost done with their meeting."

"Agreed. We must go upstairs now, my friends.", the young leader of the group, Edward Richtofen, said. Everyone nodded as they rose to their feet and began to walk upstairs.

"And just where do you think you're going?", a new more mature voice spoke. The children had just made it to the second floor when they all gasped as they looked downstairs, meeting the angry eyes of a grown Tank Dempsey. When Tank Dempsey and the man that possessed many rings on his fingers came out earlier, the children hid until they heard the front door open and close. They weren't expecting him to come back, especially in the state that the other man was in. Now Tank Dempsey, a man that could clearly intimidate anyone, was standing at the bottom floor glaring up at the children. They all stood there, dumbfounded, as Tank crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "Don't make me tell Maxis and Monty that you kids aren't in your rooms."

Believing that he was the best choice to speak to him, the child version of Dempsey spoke up. "We just wanted to know what you guys were doing in there."

Tank Dempsey widened his eyes slightly, not expecting that response from someone like, well, himself. He sighed, walking up the stairs to meet the children as Fluffy slightly growled at him. He ignored the dog as he kneeled down on one knee, making it easier for him to see their faces. "Can't really say anything about it, kids. Even I don't know what the hell just went down in there." He scratched his chin as he looked away from them.

"Mr. Dempsey?" Samantha placed her small hand on top of his large, gloved one. He turned to her, waiting patiently for whatever she had to say. "Yeah?"

"Are we safe?"

Again, Tank Dempsey wasn't expecting that.

 _~Earlier that day~_

 _ **Wunderbarer Traum**_

 _Nero's PoV_

"Lock him up.", Tank Dempsey ordered as he shoved me towards Bertram. I looked back at Dempsey with pleading eyes as he was the one to be trusted more than Dr. Monty and the others. He didn't meet my gaze as he turned away quickly, leaving me at the hands of Bertram and his fellow guards.

"Dummkopf.", Bertram mumbled as he watched Dempsey leave. He glared down at me before shoving me to two larger men. As I regained my balance, I looked up to see Bertram's cruel eyes on me as he advanced closer to me. "Let's have some fun, Magic Man."

 _~Sometime after dark~_

As my beaten body hit the cold pavement floor of my cell, I spat out the metallic mixture of blood and spit that I nearly choked on. The metal bars closed behind me with a clang as I heard Bertram roar with laughter at the sight of my damaged body.

 _Only the suffering of others could make that man laugh so hard._

"I thought we could beat that damned Shadowman out of you." He chuckled as I let out a pained groan. I turned my head slightly and looked at him. "At least we showed you what will happen if you let him out." He turned turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me to writhe on the floor in pain.

 _I could still hear his laughter, even when the chain of metal doors were closed behind him._

 _"Why?",_ an all-too familiar voice whispered to me.

 _Despite his past actions, I would never admit to another soul that the Devil's voice was the most charming that I've ever heard in my years of life._

I shook my head out of the trance as I tried to prop myself onto my elbows, which caused more pain to pulse into my upper body. I cried out as I fell back down, curling my body on the floor. When my tears fell, I knew that I finally reached my breaking point.

I was aware that my cries were loud enough for the others to hear, but in a place so inhumane, our audible suffering became common like the birds chirping. But even their gentle songs were rare compared to the sounds of a guard's batton colliding against a poor soul's flesh.

"So inhumane.", I whispered to myself, closing my eyes at last.

 _"Why must you fight me, Nero?"_

"Leave me be.", I growled, clenching my eyes tighter. "You cannot trick me again."

 _"I needed you and the rest of your group to help me. You used to obey me."_

"Because I wanted my freedom.", I snapped, letting out another groan of pain.

 _"I can give you freedom, Mr. Blackstone. I, the Shadowman, can offer you salvation. After all, your body can only take so much."_

I lifted my body, attempting to ignore the pain and the Shadowman's voice. As I slowly got to my feet, which took every ounce of my raw energy, I limped towards my bed. "Damn your _salvation_.", I hissed, before holding onto the metal bar of my bed post for support.

 _"I simply don't understand your kind. You're always thinking that you can go on, when in all honesty, you simply can't."_

I shook my head at his words, narrowing my eyes. "You would never understand, you monster."

 _"Perhaps I can. After all, I have to put up with you."_

I laughed bitterly at him. "You could always leave. You could choose these other souls here."

 _"I've been in your body for a while for me to simply just leave."_ He chuckled. _"Besides, it's fun to see your endurance. It reminds me of myself."_

This caught my interest in the charming demon inside of me. "How?", I asked slowly.

 _"Over the years, even before your kind's existence, I struggled for power among my brethren. After all, I was a bit of a late bloomer when the Apothicons took me away from the Keepers. Our purpose is to feed upon life itself. Without it, we'd simply die off. With life, you have power over it. Unfortunately, some of the Apothicons couldn't compete with the competition and as a result, they gave up, a mere memory to the rest of us. I nearly gave up because at one point, I was too weak to continue on. When it seemed that I would succumb to a new kind of darkness, the overlords finally noticed me and they pitied me. It was decided among themselves that I would take their role as their harbinger. And with my new position, I traveled to different universes for my kind to feast and gain more of life. I brought us out from the dark ages as a beacon of a new time for the universes out there; universes to conquer and consume."_

"Couldn't you have pity over the mortals that inhabit them?", I asked, disgusted in his moral of life. _I may have killed someone else, but I would never think to take out an entire universe._

 _"I'd like to think it's a universal food chain, Mr. Blackstone. The Apothicons as the dominant species, while the humans are at the bottom."_

"And Dr. Monty said you were a 'charming' and 'kind' individual.", I mumbled as I lowered myself onto my bed, hissing at the pain that came from my lower body.

 _"Oh, my simpleminded friend, you really don't get it. Dr. Monty is a liar. A man that goes by so many names that your kind fears. Beelzebub, Lucifer, Satan, The Devil, The Beast, and The Great Dragon are just a few names that just made your spine tingle."_

I shook my head, waving one hand dismissively. "I've practiced dark magic in my years of sorcery. Those names seem like saints to me."

He chuckled. _"Am I saint?"_

I crossed my arms over my bloodied jumpsuit. _I had yearned for my clothing that were made from expensive silk; crafted by the finest tailors from different parts of the world. The Shadowman may not have been a saint, but he had good taste in clothing._

"No, just a nuisance in my life.", I grumbled. "A man that enjoys to see a mortal's suffering."

The Shadowman tsk-tsk at me. _"If I recall, I never laid a hand on you. Not in Morg City or Peru."_ He sighed, almost sadly. _"I could help you to get out of here."_

I was tempted, but I knew better to fall for the same mistake thrice. "Not a chance!", I snapped.

 _"You might as well, Mr. Blackstone. After all, I can simply take over even if you don't say my name."_

I widened my eyes, trembling slightly.

"You wouldn't dare..."

He seemed to have enjoyed my reaction as he chuckled low. _"I don't like to force myself on anyone, but if you don't cooperate with me, I will do it."_

"Shadowman!", I blurted out, realizing my mistake. I clamped my hand over my mouth, but I knew that it was already to late. As I looked down at the end of my bed, the all-too-familiar mist quickly made its way up to my body.

"No, no, no!", I cried desperately as I tried to roll out of my bed. The mist held me in place on my bed as I twisted and turned, ignoring the pain that started to began, as the only thought that was on my mind was to escape.

In a matter of seconds, I looked up at the stone ceiling in hopelessness as the purple mist soon covered my eyes.

 _God, help us..._

 _The Shadowman's PoV_

"As always, my simpleminded friend." I shook my head at how easy it was to manipulate even the most _intelligent_ mortals _._

I looked down at my gloves, flexing my hands in and out, relishing in my time of freedom again.

"Now," I clasped my hands together. "My first step: Get my apprentice back."

 **The Shadowman's been released! O.O**

 **And he's on a mission to get WaW Richtofen back from Monty! And we all know where Monty is...**

 **Anyway, hope y'all enjoyed! Be sure to vote, comment, and follow me! Bye 3**

 **FYI: I had to post this chapter again, due to the fact that a bunch of codes affected the entire chapter.**


	6. Lehrling - Apprentice

_No One's PoV_

All was quiet throughout The House, except for the soft, familiar tune of Samantha's music box that played as a haunting memory of her former, darker life. For Samantha, it was the only way that got her to sleep well.

Even Dr. Monty found himself asleep, which was most likely the cause of Dr. Maxis' persistent pleas for the British man to get some well-needed rest. Monty couldn't disagree, even if the fate of his perfect world and the fate of his makeshift team would haunt him in his dreams. All he remembered was scooting every file of his task force to the other side of his bed, before plopping down on the vacant space of the soft mattress, falling into a deep sleep.

 _No one's PoV_

In one quick transition from the facility to The House, the Shadowman appeared in the bedroom of Dr. Monty. He mentally chuckled to himself as he towered over Monty's sleeping, defenseless, foolish form. He looked at his old friend's calm, peaceful face as he snored quietly.

 _A being that claimed that he was an omnipotent god would certainly think that protection would be needed_ _when something as vulnerable as sleeping would occur_. What a foolish mistake.

Such a fool indeed.

"Sleep well, old friend.", The Shadowman mumbled quietly.

The harbinger for the Apothicons had no desire to end his former friend's life, especially when he was powerless against him. Monty had the Summoning Key, the most powerful artifact in any universe.

The Shadowman only had his manipulation. _The odds of Dr. Monty showing mercy to him was very low at this point._

He needed the help of the Summoning Key and his chosen apprentice to truly be a powerful entity once more.

At that moment, the Shadowman spotted the Summoning Key in Dr. Monty's pocket, which was glowing a golden mist. The Shadowman smirked as he slowly reached out to grab it.

 _Just a little further..._

A small, red light began to light up rapidly when his hand was a mere inch near the artifact. He drew his hand away quickly, causing the blinking light to cease. He narrowed his brown eyes at this.

Somehow, that sly Dr. Monty was able to lace the artifact with an explosive that, from the looks of it now, seemed far more advanced than the explosives used in the war years ago.

 _His old friend wasn't just foolish; he now seemed suicidal._

The Shadowman was displeased.

If he truly desired to have his powers back, he would end up as ashes with Dr. Monty. He backed away from Monty's sleeping form, calculating his next move.

 _"Master...",_ a raspy, all-too familiar voice whispered near him. He slowly turned his head, spotting a shelf with _interesting_ antiques that he didn't pay much attention to when he got here. Now as he looked at the collection, a small smile appeared on his lips.

 _ **The glory days.**_

 _Survivors of different backgrounds and from different time periods teamed up against the undead, causing years of an unending, delightful war for survival. They listened to him or the others who posed as gods in order to return to their original lives. However, unknown to them, they were helping whoever was playing 'god' to gain full control over the dead._

 _The hardest revelation for all of them wasn't the fact that they were somewhat responsible for what unfolded; the hardest revelation was the fact that they would never go back to there original lives. They were lied to._

 _It was at that point in time, survivors began to realize that the only way to survive was to rebel against higher beings. Mere mortals harnessed the element that destroyed their way of life to their advantage and they did so with great ferocity against the ever-growing undead._

 _First, it was little Samantha Maxis, who wanted vengeance on Group 935 and Richtofen for taking her father and life away. Then, under his influence, Edward Richtofen took control to rule the dead. Years of war between Richtofen and Maxis for control took place, taking the lives of countless survivors that inhabited the destroyed Earth. In the end, Maxis won and everything was lost._

 _That is, until little Samantha played with time carelessly. The Shadowman remembered that day in Northern France._

 _When the dead broke free from Excavation 64, the younger versions of Edward Richtofen, Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, and Takeo Masaki were guided by her in order to escape. They had freed her from The Aether and she found her way back to The House. In return, she granted them their freedom._

 _And during their time, the Shadowman had never seen such great strength and courage; not since the early war against Primis. In some deranged, unexplainable way, he was impressed. But as impressive as they were, along with the past survivors that were guided by other beings, they still had to die._

 _However, a small group, which he considered them as 'Hidden Gems', managed to survive and were transferred to Wunderbarer Traum for the crimes that they had committed after the ordeal. Such a nuisance that was, but he digressed._

Now, the Shadowman found himself mentally chuckling at the collection, which consisted of the Monkey Bomb, a small dragon wing, the golden spork, a small replica painting of the Wolf King, a piece of fruit that didn't look good to eat, a disc from the Thundergun, a faded green hat, and a piece of Element 115. _At the end, Dr. Monty could only scavenge so little to remember._

Then, standing farther away from the others was a jar. The Shadowman smiled at this, knowing what kind of chaos it contained. _Bingo!_

Quickly, he grabbed the jar off the shelf and held it tight in his gloved, sleek hands. Now, his apprentice needed a _host_ to truly be useful in his plan _._

At that moment, he heard a door open from somewhere in The House.

 _Samantha's PoV_

"Eddie, where are you going?", I asked, worriness in my voice.

 _It was happening again. He was having another relapse._

"Leave me alone, Sam.", Eddie grumbled quietly, picking up his pace. _Nein, not this time._

"Eddie, please." At that moment, I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to me. He abruptly stopped and jerked his head quickly at me, showcasing his angry eyes.

"Are you blind, Sam?", he replied in a dark tone. At that moment, he pulled his arm away from my grasp roughly. "I always wished that the heroes from our stories were real!"

"And they are," I reasoned softly.

"They're criminals that killed people for pathetic reasons!", Eddie snapped. "They are better off in their cages!"

At that moment, he buried his face in his trembling hands. I looked at him, astonished at his outburst.

There were times when Eddie became distraught, but I couldn't think of a time when he trembled like a leaf to a violent storm.

I reached out for him again. "Eddie..."

He pulled away from me. "Oh Sam. If only you could see _our_ memories," He lifted his tear-stained face at me. "I'm just like them, like my other versions, a bad guy." He continued to rant and I listened; waiting for him to finish.

"I may be here with you in this world, doing nothing but play with figurines of bad people doing good things and we act like everything that happened in the past is okay. Sam, should't we be killing each other at this moment? You suffered because versions of me no longer cared about a little girl who thought life was still good, even if her mom died."

I narrowed my eyes at him before quickly stepping towards him. His eyes grew a bit wide at my speed, but I ignored them as I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist. I pulled him close to me as I rested my head on his chest. He stood very still as I closed my eyes.

"Can you even remember the times we tried to destroy each other?", I asked, feeling cold on the inside. He said nothing. I continued.

"Remember the times when you experimented on me, even when I begged you to stop?"

 _Again, no answer._

"Remember the time when you locked me and my father in that teleporter with a demonic Fluffy?"

He pushed me away, gripping my shoulders. He looked at me sternly; there was no sign of tenderness anywhere. "Why are you torturing me with things that _we_ committed?"

"Because none of it was _your_ fault, at all.", I simply replied. I looked at him with my own cold eyes. "I was hurt, betrayed, lied to, and even tricked because of versions of you. That's true, but I can't recall a time that _you_ ever hurt me. Why must you include yourself with them?"

A flicker of emotions were apparent in his eyes, but just as they had appeared, they were gone in a second. He stepped closer to me, towering over my small height. _Even if he was younger, he still looked like a giant._

"Oh, Sam, I'm trying.", he finally sighed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. I nodded, smiling faintly at him. "Good, Eddie." I reached out and hugged him, smiling even a bit more when I felt his arms around me.

 _"So touching..."_

The second I heard his voice was the moment that Eddie wished that he didn't wake me up so that I could follow him. That was apparent by his firm grip around me when he faced the owner of that familiar, terrifying voice.

 _No one's PoV_

The scream of his daughter woke up not only Dr. Maxis, but all the other residents of The House. Monty was the first to respond as he quickly opened his door, listening for the direction of Samantha's scream. The fact that she was no longer screaming sent a chill down Maxis' spine as he could have sworn that her music box began to play louder. "Maxis!", the young Tank Dempsey cried out as he and the younger versions of his comrades nearly ran into a mess of glass and droplets of blood all over the red carpet. Monty was the first to reach the children, but his eyes were on the glass shards that laid before him, oblivious to the small stains setting in. "Bloody Hell.", Monty could only mutter out as he stood there. Maxis finally made it to the scene, but the sight before him took the words out of him. He scanned his eyes around the hallway, hoping to see his little girl safe from harm.

There was no sign of Samantha and the realization hit him in the chest hard. So hard, that he gripped his chest tightly as he fell down on one knee.

"I'm too old to suffer another loss.", he muttered to himself. He looked around again, realizing that little Eddie was nowhere to be seen. "Where is that boy?", he asked as the young Takeo helped him to his feet.

"He's gone. She's gone.", Monty bluntly replied, still looking at the glass shards. "Even worse, _he's_ gone."

"You do not think that the Shadowman had anything to do with this?", Maxis asked, widening his eyes. Just then, Monty received an incoming call on his earpiece. He took a deep breath before pushing the small button on the earpiece to answer. "The magician's gone, Monty! The Shadowfuck's gone", an angered Tank Dempsey barked from the other side. Monty, unfazed, simply closed his eyes. He took a steady breath, slightly biting the inside of his cheek. "Thank you for confirming our great fear, Dempsey." He opened his eyes again, narrowing them slightly. "Now, assemble the Suicide Squad while you're at it." With that, he hung up quickly as the last few seconds of Samantha's lullaby played in his ears, a painful realization that she wouldn't sleep at all tonight.

 **If you're wondering which Samantha's Lullaby is being played, just look up the Der Eisendrache version. I feel like that version fits well with this chapter.**


End file.
